Valentin put down his drink. “Alice and Darius are here.”
A woman walked through the door. She was smaller than I expected—delicate features, pale skin, blond hair that fell past her shoulders. Beside her stood a man with long dark hair, tall, imposing, with silver eyes that seemed to see right through you. It had to be Darius Acosta—a Golden Demon who had somehow found redemption. Or at least, that’s what the stories said.
But they weren’t alone.
Two people I never thought would be there walked in behind them—Raven and Lucien Acosta. The supernatural goldencouple. Raven with her long dark hair cascading down her back, brown eyes that held ancient powers, and magic beyond any of us. Her mate Lucien walked beside her—protective, handsome, built like a warrior, and utterly formidable.
I slumped back in my chair, suddenly feeling very small.
She was so intimidating. At least to me. Raven was one of the most powerful beings in our world, and she didn’t have a speck of dirt on her reputation. She was respected. Admired. Loved.
Not like me.
I had a past as a traitor and now I was a fugitive. A thief’s accomplice. A woman whose name was probably being cursed in both Angelo’s mansion and Dracula’s home right now. If Raven knew who I was—what I’d been guilty of—she’d either throw me out or hand me over to Costin herself.
Rocco’s hand curled into a fist on the table. He glared at the approaching group, his jaw tight. “What the hell are those two doing here?”
Rose shrugged. “I don’t know. Alice didn’t say anything about Lucien and Raven.”
The four of them headed over to our table. Valentin grabbed two more chairs for Lucien and Raven.
“Alice.” Rose got up from the table and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you.”
Valentin shook Darius’ hand. “Long time no see, buddy.”
Darius grinned. “It’s good to be back.”
Lucien clasped his brother’s shoulder. “Raven and I decided to come down to meet Alice’s people.” He pulled out the chair for Raven.
She glanced at us. “Rocco, Selena.”
Raven knew my name. The fact she’d said it without contempt—without the cold dismissal I’d braced myself for—loosened something tight in my chest. Though I wasn’t foolish enough to mistake civility for acceptance.
Rocco nodded but glanced at her suspiciously. His body was coiled tight, ready to bolt—or fight—at the first sign of trouble.
Alice took a seat next to Rose, her blue eyes scanning the restaurant before settling on our group. “It’s been busy over at Tinker Bell’s townhome. Enzo was interrogating all of us.”
A chill crawled down my spine. Enzo. Angelo’s enforcer. The vampire who could snap a neck without breaking a sweat.
Rose picked up her glass of water. “Angelo Santi?”
Alice’s face was grim. “And Costin. They’re both on a rampage.”
There it was. The confirmation of everything I’d been dreading. My stomach clenched. We weren’t just running from one powerful enemy—we were running from two. And both of them wanted us dead.
Lucien locked his gaze with Rocco. “You took theLapis Umbrae.”
It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation.
Oh shit. He’s going to turn us in.
A waitress appeared at our table, all smiles, oblivious to the tension crackling between us. We ordered drinks—wine for me, though I wished I’d gotten something ten times stronger. Whiskey. Bourbon. A shot of Chosen Blood.
I scanned the busy restaurant, my pulse thumping in my ears. Every door, every window, every shadow—I waited for Enzo to walk in. He wouldn’t make a scene. Not here.
He’d smile, lean close, and whisper something that made your blood freeze. And then we’d disappear. Quietly. Efficiently. To somewhere no one would ever find us.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. No one at the table moved. Even the noise of the restaurant seemed to fade into the background.
